1. CV Writing Director of Careers for The Business & Law Faculty

2. Careers & Employability Service Location: WF409 Email: careersbusiness@aut.ac.nzcareersbusiness@aut.ac.nz Phone: 09 921 9999 ext. 8875 55% of your income over your working life comes from how you manage your career! (OECD)

3. We will be covering…… What is a CV? What should your CV include? Targeting your CV Illustrating your skills & experience Detail and presentation Why are CVs rejected? On-line applications

4. We will be covering…… It is not a history It informs and convinces It persuades an employer that they should see you An opportunity to give evidence of your skills It is specific to the job you are applying for

5. Next please! Q. How long does the average employer spend looking at a CV? A. 20-40 seconds

6. Contents Name and contact details Career Objectives / Personal Statement Education Employment / Work Experience Skills & achievements Interests References and referees –ask them first

7. Personal statement/career objective Your chance to shine & grab their attention Make it personal to you – don’t copy nice sounding phrases Avoid clichés

8. Targeting your CV Research the position Consider the skills and experience the company are seeking – can you show evidence that you have these? Research the company

9. Skills & Experience Gather examples of your skills & experience Can be drawn from any aspect of your life e.g. employment, work experience, education, interests, activities, home life responsibilities Carefully consider how to present this information to give evidence of your suitability for the job

10. Example Skills LeadershipTeam captain for my college’s basketball team. Responsible for arranging transport to fixtures and ensuring the team is fully prepared for all matches. PlanningPlan and organise the finances for a student house which is lived in with 6 other students Teamwork Worked on a joint project in my third year, which was graded a first by my tutors. We had a to set our own deadlines, prioritise our work and agree responsibilities.

11. Detail & Presentation No more than 2 - 3 pages Clear headings and avoid jargon Relevant information in a logical order Include ‘white space’ Bold type to highlight key details and bullet points to break information up into ‘bite size’ pieces

12. Why CV’s are rejected Poor presentation –spell check and get someone else to proof read! Difficult to follow Too long Not targeted at the job Never reached the right person Arrived too late Emailed to a computer without compatible software Lies

13. Cover letters Complements your CV Explains WHY you want the job And WHY you want to work for that organisation Let your passion & commitment come through

14. Purpose Why are you writing? –what you want? Why are you suitable? Why them? What's in it for them??

15. On-Line Applications Print the form if possible and work on draft All the usual rules apply Use ‘Power Words’ Formal application, not ‘chatty e mail’ style http://www.selectsimulator.com http://www.prospects.ac.uk http://www.doctorJob.com

16. Contact Details David Trought Director of Careers & Employability Business & Law Faculty WF 409 09 921 9999 ext. 8875 E mail: careersbusiness@aut.ac.nz

17. Conclusion Follow these rules and you should be in the top quarter of all applicants! Visit Careerhub for examples and placements